Family
by 68luvcarter
Summary: Sometimes family isn't related by blood.


With a sigh Spencer rolled from bed, he was not a morning person. He saw so many horrific scenes on the job and those memories were stuck in his head which meant nightmares on many nights. Sometimes they were so bad he couldn't go back to sleep, luckily he got four good hours last night which is a good night in his book. He slowly made his way to the bathroom making quick use of the facilities, brushing his teeth and taking a long, hot shower. He got dressed in dark blue pants, white button-down and pale gold vest. He pulled on one solid blue sock and one yellow with blue stripes and a blue tie with gold polka-dots and grabbed his blue jacket before heading to the kitchen. In the kitchen he filled a to-go mug with coffee adding copius amounts of sugar and grabbed his normal healthy breakfast of chocolate pop tarts, the breakfast of champions, he thought. He stopped at the foyer table and opened the top drawer removing his badge, gun and cell phone, pulled his camel hair coat and purple scarf from the closet and picked up his messenger bag before heading out his front door.

The weather was chilly but clear so he walked briskly the four blocks to the subway station, paid his toll and found a seat to himself away from other passengers. He didn't do so well with strangers or rather they didn't do so well with him. Most people thought him strange once he opened his mouth to speak, at least until they got used to him. He didn't have normal social skills, a product of his rather odd upbringing he supposed. He had dealt with many hardships in his youth stemming from his intelligence and his mother's illness. His mom may have suffered from schizophrenia but he had never doubted that she loved him. He may have more memories of her episodes but the moments he liked to remember and cherish are the ones where she was clear. The moments when she would read to him or cook his favorite dinner were rare but they were special to him. And his intelligence while making him a target in his childhood had served to aid in finding and rescuing victims so he could never wish it away.

He got off the subway about six blocks from work by then ready for a refill of coffee so he stopped at his usual coffee shop to get more. He greeted the owner, a very nice middle-aged woman named Gladys who had come to enjoy his daily visits for coffee and sometimes pie on his way home. She was always trying to fix him up with her neice, "a very sweet girl" she would always say. "You would make such pretty babies," she would add to his embarrassment. He could have avoided her by going somewhere else but he really didn't mind. It was kind of nice to know that she liked him enough to trust him with someone she loved. Of course he would never tell Garcia or Morgan about it or he would never hear the end of it. He smiled and thanked her and she waved goodbye as he was leaving.

He smiled as he walked the remainder of his way to work thinking about his team. Sometimes he thought it was Garcia's lot in life to make sure he fell in love. She wanted the people she cared for to be happy and though Spencer felt wore down at times trying to deflect her attention from himself he knew she only done it in love. It is a great thing in life to be loved by Penelope Garcia, he thought. In many ways, though not much older than himself, she reminded him of his mom on her good days. Perhaps that's why he is somewhat comfortable with the physical displays of affection she sometimes embarrasses him with, the hugs at the office or kisses to the forehead.

He wasn't a ladies man and had never felf comfortable around most women but Garcia, JJ and Emily were different than other women. They were his family. He might not be as demonstrative as Morgan but in his own way he was able to show them how he felt. Garcia made it impossible for anyone, including Hotch to resist her kind heart and easy smiles.

Emily had been harder to get close to because of the whole Hankel case and his subsequent ordeal that followed but she had wormed her way into his heart, just as the others had. She had a wicked sense of humor and although she could appear tougher on the outside than the other ladies, inside she was tender and caring. She had been a great friend and willing to lend a hand, a shoulder or an ear if she thought he might need it. Sometimes he felt that her childhood was as lonely as his own but that was something they did not discuss. He was just grateful to have her in his life now and would never take for granted his second chance with her.

He missed JJ with her gentle heart and soft voice. She had such easy affection and after he got past the whole crush thing he was able to appreciate her sweet manner and calming presence so much more. He was probably closer to her than anyone except Morgan. She made him feel safe to be himself and she would always be special to him and he missed her greatly. He was sure that when she left that would be the end of his relationship with her and Henry but she was true to her word and didn't let that happen. Not only did she have the team over monthly for get-togethers but she and Will had made a point of inviting him weekly to dinner and to spend time with Henry. It was the first time he felt he had a family that wouldn't leave.

He still missed Gideon, at times more than he would have thought but he was finding that the time he spent with Rossi was helping to ease his loss. He knew that Rossi wasn't exactly thrilled with him when they first started working together but each day brought them closer. When he met Rossi he knew his brain wouldn't win him over to Rossi's good graces, instead he had to prove himself as someone that was worthy of being in this job, as more than a human computer providing useful statistics. He had managed to show Rossi he could do this job and in the process he felt he had earned not only Rossi's respect but his friendship as well. When Reid had dealt with his father again after seventeen years it was surprising to find Rossi was the one he was able to rely on and he would never forget his strength and quiet support when he needed it.

As Reid exited the elevator and headed to his desk he noticed that Hotch was already at work. After removing his coat and scarf and setting his bag on his desk Reid was ready for another refill of coffee. As he waited for the pot to finish brewing he thought of Hotch and how much he had dealt with this year alone. He had always felt close to Hotch since the first day he started at the BAU, at first he thought he was just that he admired Hotch but over the years he realized that Hotch was the first person outside his mom that he felt really believed in him. Sure Gideon was good to him and did what he could to help him get in the FBI but Hotch from the first day treated him as an equal not as a smart kid that had bypassed the regular requirements. Reid knew without a doubt that the way Hotch treated him from day one was the reason he was able to do this job, he was a team member not the new kid. Jack was lucky to have a dad like Hotch, sometimes Reid wished he had been as lucky. His life might have turned out differently if he had grown up with the support and love that Hotch gave his own son. At least he was happy to know he had that now.

He picked up his coffee and headed back to his desk and got to work. Morgan and Emily made their way in and were in the middle of an argument about some action movie they had both seen over the weekend. He smiled as he listened to them argue back and forth. Emily called, "Good morning Reid" and Morgan made his way over and mussed Reid's hair as he said, "Hey pretty boy, how was your weekend?" Reid answered and they talked a few minutes before getting back to work. It was a slow day, no cases, so the day was spent in relative quiet getting caught up on paperwork.

As Reid was coming back from the restroom he noticed Morgan slipping a couple of files onto his desk. He would never tell Morgan that he didn't mind doing the extra paperwork for him instead he kept quiet, sitting down with a smile on his face. If someone had told him years ago that after growing up terrorized by big, strong football players that his best friend in life would be one, he would never have believed it, but it was true. On his first day in the office when he first laid eyes on Morgan he thought he would have to deal with another bully but when introduced Morgan smiled that infectious grin and Reid knew everything would be alright. While Garcia's goal in life was to find him a girlfriend, Morgan's goal in life was to be his protector. After spending his childhood with bullies Reid now had someone that would give his life to keep him safe. Morgan was the best friend he had ever known and he trusted him more than he had ever trusted anyone in his life.

The day was a long one but that meant that there wasn't a case which meant no one was in danger so Reid decided boring wasn't too bad. Everyone was gathering their coats and heading home. Morgan and Emily had started arguing again and Garcia had joined in with her own opinion. Rossi and Hotch were making their way down the stairs talking about something Reid couldn't hear and Reid just stood at his desk taking it all in. This was his team, his co-workers and his family. He smiled to himself as he watched them and reazlized that while he might have grown up alone, where it had brought him and the people his life had brought him to was worth it. These were the people, other than his mom, that meant the most to him. His family.

He noticed the talking had stopped and when he glanced around they were all looking at him. He smiled and nervously pushed his hair behind his ear. Garcia leaned over and hugged him. He asked what the hug was for and she looked around at the others and then back to him and smiled and he knew that no words were needed. She grabbed one arm and Emily grabbed the other leaving the other men to follow while Garcia started chatting about dinner at JJ's on Thursday.

Reid knew tonight he would sleep well, it had been a good day.


End file.
